Weekday Oatmeal and Everything Cookies

I’m not going to tell you that these are the world’s best oatmeal cookies.  I won’t tell you that this is the only recipe you’ll ever need until the end of time.  I’m not going to tell you that I’m omg obsessed or anything like that. 

I will tell you that I was trying to re-frame cookies into my everyday life.  What’s the cookie that I want to eat everyday, any time of day, with hot coffee or cold milk?  What’s the cookie that might give me a little second-cup-of-coffee-mid-morning-treat energy?  What’s the cookie that I could offer someone that drops by? What’s the cookie that’s hearty enough, and chocolate-y enough to satisfy a craving in one cookie, not a cookie binge?

Well…  I didn’t tell you all this because I failed.  We’ve arrived.  This is the cookie – hearty but chewy, sweet with a bite of salt, loaded with nuts and chocolate.  It hits all the spots and we’re in it for the everyday. 

We’re making cookies!!  You could totally add this to your meal prep situation, don’t you think?  Here’s what we’ll need.  It’s just enough to be a whole lotta good: 

•  Oats – I like the heartiness of old-fashion oats but if you want a softer cookie, go for quick oats.

•  Brown Sugar and Butter – queens. 

•  Egg for binding. 

•  All kinds of fruit and nuts:  dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and roasted and salted pepitas.  

•  Spiced, too!  Warming winter spices.  

• Chocolate, OF COURSE.

Into the bowl with softened butter and brown sugar.  I used a set of electric hand beaters and whipped the two together.  

We’ll need an egg for binding though you could certainly make a flax or chia seed egg for these cookies.  The seeds would blend in well with the rest of the heartiness. 

I went extra spicy for these cookies.  Cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, of course.  But why not add a side of ground ginger and allspice for warmth?  You could, you should. 

The dry ingredients are lightly whisked further and added to the creamed butter, sugar, and eggs. 

You know how cookies go – this is just like that! 

Lots of those oats.  

And lots of everything else your flavor-brain wants:  dried cranberries or dried blueberries, roasted salted pepitas (they’re pumpkin seeds!), roasted pecans, and lots of chocolate chips – YES! 

Get it all together. 

It’s understandable if there’s spillage or a few oats go flying.  We’re done with the hand beaters though, just go in with a spatula here.  

It’s also totally understandable to nip a few tastes of cookie dough out of the bowl.  It’s living on the edge because wait… we’re not supposed to eat raw flour now, or eggs, and sometimes spinach, and we’re not supposed to hold our phones to our heads or our ovaries, and definitely don’t stare at the sun or swim in a dark lake… listen it’s hard to keep track of everything, let’s just do our best. 

I dolloped the dough right onto a parchment lined baking sheet just after the dough came together.  It didn’t need to rest in the refrigerator because there’s really so much in this dough.  

Scoop generous dough balls onto parchment lined baking sheets and flatten the cookie slightly, giving it a little spread before it hits the oven.  After a cozy 12 minutes in the oven the cookies will be lightly golden around their edges. 

Salty and sweet and chocolate studded and just everything I want to eat.  And – these cookies keep their chewy bite for days!  I keep them around, wrapped and ready and I humble suggest you do too. 

Jon and I took these photos for you. 

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